Steelers to Release ILB Larry Foote

In a move that cannot be considered much of a surprise, the Steelers are going to release veteran linebacker Larry Foote after the teams upcoming mini-camp. ESPN reports that the Steelers told Foote that he would be released following the camp. This is clearly a move that is being done for money reasons. Since after the Super Bowl, there’s been tons of talk that Foote wouldn’t be around mostly due to his $3.5 million dollar salary for 2009.

At first it was said by the team that they would keep both linebackers, but now that the team has looked closer at their books, it makes sense to simply plug former first-round pick Lawrence Timmons into the starting inside linebacker spot that was owned for a number of years by Foote.

Timmons came on in his second season with the club, as he had 65 tackles and five sacks with a pick of Matt Cassel in the teams win in New England. In six seasons, Foote posted 431 tackles, 14½ sacks, three interceptions, 11 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles and four recoveries.